1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a continuous operation linear hydraulic winch of the type comprising a fixed frame, a first gripping assembly, a first pair of parallely disposed hydraulic jacks mounted between the frame and the first gripping assembly, a second gripping assembly, and a second pair of parallely disposed hydraulic jacks extending in a same direction as said first pair of jacks and mounted between the frame and the second gripping assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Linear hydraulic winches are well known. They are either of the intermittent operation type (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,180) or of the continuous operation type (see FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings which shows schematically such a continuous operation winch). For equal tractive forces and equal strokes of the hydraulic jacks, the known continuous operation winches have the drawback of being greater in length than intermittent operation winches. That is due to the fact that in continuous operation winches the two gripping assemblies are mounted for movement in the frame of the winch, and to the fact that an additional pair of hydraulic jacks is provided for moving that one of the two gripping assemblies which is usually fixed in an intermittent operation winch. On the other hand, as their name indicates, continuous operation winches have the advantage of yielding continuous movement of a cable on which they act, and so of a load connected thereto.